Reading this gave me a real insight into the trauma that can occur from pregnancy and childbirth and really opened my eyes to issues I wasn’t even aware of.

I love Michelle’s mixture of explicit detail and vivid descriptions, combined with practical tips and strategies to combat perinatal mental illness. She conveys such a vulnerability in her words, and I can only imagine how raw, yet cathartic, it must have been to write.

Her story is one of hope, how to survive, overcome and thrive. I have to say my favourite part of the book was the letter to her pre-parent self and there were a few sentences that really resonated with me, “You will doubt if you are enough. You will doubt if you will survive… You are not perfect, but you are enough. And that’s all you need to be”.

Michelle has managed to pen all the emotions many of us suffer but are unable to express or put into words. I would recommend reading this book whether you are a mother, health worker, midwife, friend, partner or have an interest in maternal mental health. If every midwife, nurse and health worker were to read this, I can only imagine the positive impact this would have on women’s antenatal, birthing and perinatal experiences.

Katie xxx

Katie was asked as a member of our Review Team to review Michelle's book. 

Tagged with: michelle bradley book review, mums ni reviews, pangs book review, pangs surviving motherhood and mental illness review, review

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